The present invention relates generally to an ornamental fascia for use on a building structure and more particularly to a bullnose cladding system for adorning various exposed surfaces of a structure.
It is now customary for chain stores and franchise realtors to use a standardized appearances on various structure attendant to their business in order to convey a common recognizable theme to the products and/or services offered thereby. A standardized appearance is also useful in order to convey the nature of the business or to convey a theme.
Often the building architecture or attendant structure of a particular store or franchise will vary from one building to another. Because of these architectural differences, it is sometimes necessary to use building adornments in order to convey a theme or a standardized appearance. Ideally such adornments should be inexpensive, easy to install and should require low maintenance. Given the wide variance in building architecture, these objectives may be difficult and expensive to achieve.
In order to fulfill the need for a simple and relatively inexpensive building adornment, the present invention provides a construction, apparatus and method for providing a bullnose cladding for attachment to a building structure or attendant fixture. The bullnose cladding system includes a pair of elongated rail members attached to the surface of the structure onto which the bullnose cladding is to be secured. A panel or plurality of panels are inserted within channels formed in the rails for releasably securing the cladding to the structure. The individual panels are formed with a living hinge which allows the panel to be folded to form a hem on the back side of the panel which is inserted within the channel to create a self-locking joint. By utilizing a hem, additional fastening elements such as pins or clips are not needed. The bullnose cladding system further includes various expansion joint assemblies which may be interdisposed between adjacent panels to accommodate thermal expansion as a result of change in the ambient temperatures. Similarly, the bullnose cladding system further includes various corner assemblies which are used to provide a mitered or rounded effect at corners of the bullnose cladding system while at the same time allowing for expansion of the adjacent panels. As such, the invention is well adapted for storage, shipment and assembly in a modular or kit form.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved covering or cladding for buildings, structures, poles, columns and attendant fixtures.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost system for covering or highlighting such items which can be easily assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cladding system which has a minimum number of parts that are easy to install and replace where necessary.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a cladding system which has mostly flat and/or non-preformed components in order to minimize packaging and freight expenses.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cladding system which accommodates thermal expansion of the individual components, while at the same time maintaining a uniform, pleasing appearance.
These and other objects and purposes of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of invention which viewed in accordance with the attached drawings and appended claims. Thus, for a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and accompanying drawings.